Computer systems, such as servers, may have a number of different specifications, configurations, pricing methods, and licensing techniques, which may depend on business methods implemented by a vendor or an information technology company. Customers of information technology companies and vendors have a wide variety of needs, and providing options and customizable configurations allows a customer to tailor a computer system, billing method, and licensing technique to his individual needs.
Computer systems sold or licensed by vendors or information technology companies are intended to perform only the tasks that have been negotiated, and certain licenses and systems management routines confirm that only licensed hardware is being implemented and only authorized tasks are being performed by the computer system. As a specific example, a piece of hardware may have a unique serial number, and the computer system confirms that the piece of hardware has the expected, licensed serial number before performing computing tasks. If an unlicensed piece of hardware is detected, the computer system will not perform any computing tasks. If a licensed piece of hardware fails, it must be replaced with a new piece of hardware that also has a unique serial number. So, not only does the hardware have to be replaced, but the system will not compute until a new license is received for the replacement piece of hardware. Also, companies billing the customer for the computer system must update their records to reflect the change in licensing and serial numbers. Such a replacement method is a tedious process for the customer and the information systems company. A system of this nature is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/647,683, entitled “System and Method for Providing a Mechanism to Virtualize a Perpetual, Unique System Identity on a Partitioned Computer System,” and filed Dec. 29, 2006.
Beyond system maintenance, the needs of a customer may change over time, and a computer system that met or exceeded customer needs initially may become insufficient or cease to be economical. As an example, a customer may initially find that a metering method of billing provides cost savings over a capacity on demand system of billing. As the customer grows, expands, or changes business models, the customer may find that the capacity on demand method of billing is more economical than the metering method. Given the nature of the licensing, the computer system may be licensed for capacity on demand or programmed to perform only metering. Changing a system's billing method may be accompanied with a change the name of the system, which may require a lengthy update. Currently the name of the system and the system product line is part of the firmware build. Thus, if the system name is to be changed, the firmware must be updated, and updating the firmware may require a system reboot, which may interrupt critical computer system tasks, delete important data, and require a significant period of time.
A computer system licensed by a customer may require a name change and a corresponding product line change for a variety of reasons. In one example, a marketing department of the information systems company may change the system names or the product line of a system. Also, responding to customer needs may require the changing of a name of a system. In either situation, a firmware update would be required to the disappointment of the customer.
Thus, a method of providing a new system name and product line to a computer system without requiring a firmware update or even a reboot of the computer system is desired.